The Year of Learning

In a video about the future of learning in a networked society, Professor Stephen Heppell explains that education as we know it today may be dying. Formal schooling – largely defined as the uniform batch processing of students to achieve an identical objective – is done. However, the learning revolution is just beginning.

Several years earlier, Allan Collins and Richard Halverson described the beginnings of this revolution in their 2009 book, Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology. They argue that over the past few centuries, education has evolved in response to economic and social forces. In the beginning, and for hundreds of years, education focused on learning. Students in one-room school houses both taught and learned from each other. Older students supported younger ones as they developed literacy and numeracy skills that would serve as the foundation for their future. As students aged, they progressed from learning in school to learning through apprenticeships. This second phase of learning allowed students to develop the language of their profession and a deep understanding of how to continue their self-education within the context of their field. Eventually, much like with the one-room school, students recognized that they would accept apprentices themselves and thus continue the cycle of learning and teaching.

Underlying this system of individualized and collaborative education was a fundamental belief that individuals needed to learn throughout their lifetimes, and from numerous individuals, rather than within the artificial constraints of a specific time frame. It was not until the late 19th century that a second revolution emerged in response to the pressures of both industrialization and urbanization – particularly in the U.S. Instead of focusing on lifelong learning, the new system emphasized schooling. Whereas the former could be characterized by an intrinsic process of growth, the latter institutionalized rules, protocols, and efficiencies to standardize individuals for both the factory and a more homogenous society that could co-exist within the close-quarters of urban environments. Where teachers in the one-room schoolhouse functioned more like designers of learning experiences and coordinators of learning communities, those in the industrial model became responsible for implementing the external, largely bureaucratic structures of school.

As this revolution progressed throughout the 20th century, teaching, schooling, and learning became haphazardly disconnected. A student could progress through the system having achieved a series of credentials based on seat-time or the accumulation of credits but potentially without ever really learning how to learn. And yet, given the rapid rate of change introduced by both technology and globalization, Collins, Halverson, and eventually Heppell believe that we have now entered a third education revolution: one in which learning needs to be consistent and persistent. In the industrial era, a person could develop a single skill and then be set for life. On the contrary, in a networked society that values innovation, the ability to solve unstructured problems, adaptability, and the capacity to construct new knowledge, the need for learning has re-emerged. Therefore, I think that 2019 may be the Year of Learning.

I had not thought about writing a “year of” post until a colleague reminded me of previous ones. Twice, I have visited the idea of The Year of Agency (part 1 and part 2), and last year, I wrestled with the idea of a year of hope. In re-reading all of those articles, I realized that I offered suggestions for schools and educators but did not necessarily give myself a call-to-action. But 2019 seems to be different. In August, my formal schooling officially came to an end. (In fact, it feels a bit odd to state that I now have a “terminal degree” – as if education is like a disease that ultimately culminates in some profound wisdom or maybe kills you.) As such, I am excited to have already found a few new learning opportunities for the new year.

First, I am starting a post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of Rhode Island. In this capacity, I will be working on a qualitative evaluation of a pre-school STEM program. When I started my doctoral studies and thought about research methods, I often stressed over the problem of the unknown. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Now, I am very clear on the areas that need improvement, and this fellowship will give me an opportunity to further develop those skills.

Second, I have joined the team at the Consortium of School Networking (CoSN) as the new Digital Equity Program Director. During my doctoral studies, I became fascinated and concerned by the growing Digital Divide in education. Though federal policy and empirical studies have documented increased student access to the Internet and devices in school, discrepancies continue to persist once students go home and throughout their communities. This position with CoSN will allow me to expand my original research and explore new possibilities to address the challenge of digital equity.

Finally, I am going to be completing literature reviews and writing policy briefs as a research consultant. Not only will this work allow me to further develop my knowledge of the education sector as a whole, but it will also provide me with an opportunity to examine new contexts outside of the technology space.

Though my schooling may be complete, I realize that I still have much to learn. After surviving the past few years, I am very confident about the gaps in my knowledge as well as my own ability to fill them. Given our current social, political, and economic climate, there is no telling what may come in the next twelve months. However, if we all consider this the Year of Learning, imagine what may be possible in our schools, our classrooms, and in our communities.